Benefits of CascadiaStrong

Back end accounting and general liability insurance for your event or program.

Seattle CascadiaNow! coordinator support for strategic planning, event coordination, and eventual transition to an independent 501(c)(3).

Access to volunteers with the skills you need to make your project a success.

An administrative structure for hiring staff, keeping the books, and complying with legal and fiscal requirements.

What is fiscal sponsorship?

Fiscal sponsorship means that your project, program, event or cause comes on as a program of Seattle CascadiaNow!, with all the benefits that implies. Upon approval of our chapter coordinators, we assume the legal liabilities and accounting responsibilities for your project, as well as provide some other back end services and support, and allows you to get to the work that you want to be doing.

Projects remain autonomous work groups, though leaders work with SeaCN! coordinators to develop an appropriate budget they feel reflects their activities, and a plan for how they would like to grow for that year. Project leaders retain full creative control of the project according to agreed upon activities and outcomes and the sponsoring organization adopts the project as its own program. The project then becomes the legal responsibility of the sponsor and has no separate legal existence. Projects however can dissolve this relationship with a months notice, at any time.

What is the cost of fiscal sponsorship?

Seattle CascadiaNow! provides a model called 'comprehensive fiscal sponsorship' and asks for a flat administrative fee of 10% of member programs.

Why should I consider fiscal sponsorship for my project?

Fiscal sponsorship is often beneficial to projects that have plans for near-term growth but lack the resources to achieve this growth independently. Maybe you want to grow your publicity reach and get more attendees at your events. Perhaps you have big programming goals that need a larger budget. Or maybe you just want to streamline your activities and workflows to get the most out of your time and effort. Fiscal sponsorship is also a great way to obtain 501(c)(3) status for your educational and charitable activities without the burden of applying and reporting to the IRS.

Is fiscal sponsorship the same as financial sponsorship?

No. Fiscal sponsorship does not necessarily imply financial support. All CascadiaStrong projects must be willing to fundraise or otherwise generate revenues to support their budget. Seattle CascadiaNow! is committed to supporting all our projects in achieving their revenue goals.